Guwahati, Oct 3: In a significant move to decentralise governance, Assam will become the first state in the country on Friday to launch “co-districts”, which is a unique initiative aimed at decentralising administration and enhancing public access to government services.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to social media on Thursday to state that the initiative would take governance one step closer to people.
“Tomorrow, we begin launching ‘co-districts’. This unique initiative, first in the country, will decentralise district administration,” he stated.
He further stated that the “co-districts” would ensure implementation of the state government’s vision of “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.”
Notably, the first phase will see the rollout of 39 co-districts on Friday and Saturday.
The co-districts, which are basically smaller administrative units, will function below the district level, streamlining the delivery of citizen-centric services such as issuing certificates (next of kin certificates, caste certificates, permanent resident certificates, etc), ration cards, land permits and government approvals.
The new initiative will allow citizens to manage their administrative tasks directly at the co-district offices instead of having to visit the district commissioner’s office.
While the objective of the unique initiative is to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of public services through the co-district offices, the idea here is to put in place a more responsive and effective system that addresses the needs of its citizens.
